It goes without saying that the first Shrek film is the best of the bunch. It was, at the time, a fresh take on fairy tales that hit at the height of Sarcasm’s popularity. The sense of humor was relevant and the references were ripe for a different take. What I find so interesting is that Shrek (or perhaps more accurately, the first half-hour of Shrek) could feel so fresh while its sequels, Shrek 2 and Shrek the Third, could be such boring retreads that never came close to topping the predecessor.

Maybe it’s because of this, a feeling that all of Shrek‘s sequels were stagnant curses to the genre of animation, that I walked into the supposedly final installment of the Shrek series with such low hopes. But maybe it’s because of those expectations for the worst that made Shrek Forever After not just a non-annoying film to sit through, but one that I even kind of liked.